Tag Archives: ecology

I was there when the first pits were dug,after the trees were cleared; torn, dragged and burned.My family and I searched for concretions in limey sandthat had not seen the sunin a span of time that can be measured, but not understood.Set as coral in the ocean,became limestone,became oolite,Miami Beach,became my home.

I use to roam and dig under what is nowAventura Mallin what was an elegant, high-rise my girl comes three days a week part of Miami,then Aventura,now The City of Aventurawhich lies engorged between the end ofa double-decked Atlantic Ocean causeway,named after a State Representativewho owned a Chevrolet dealership,and a bypass so long, so highI can no longer see the vast expanse of shrinking ocean.Only solid walls of perpendicular roadand the mall.

After the palms were greasedand the foundation razed,one of the first stores to openwas a New Age Giant,moved from across town,far from its humble beginningsas a place to launder cocainemoney through the saleof health enhancements only slightly less dubiouslike vitamin k, brain hemispheric synchronizers,Angle Cards, singing bowls composedof cave grown,high-pressure hose harvestedcrystal,designed to draw the harmony of nature and increase inner-peace and compassionate abide, andclasses teaching the myriad ways to simply life.

It opened after the protestsand the building and the picketsand the building and the threatsand suits and the buildingto sell books about the preciousness of the environmentand bumper stickers exhorting patrons to “Thank Goddess”customers took home in pastel pink paper bagsprinted on each side with delicate seashells.

And they were swampedalong with the Sears and Burdinesand Macy’s where the Cellar had to be on the top floorbecause two feet underground,just below where I use to dig,was water.

The mall became a focusfor the areaas it drained and dried the commerce and custom from the westas events were held todraw crowds like the“Parade of Whores”The Cardiologists’ Wives Look-a-like Contest,The Peach Polo Shirt and Beige Shorts Fashion Show and,just down the road,a bit past the beach you don’t dare tread barefoot,the weekly“Race to the Floating Bale.”

And so the mall grew,so much so, soonit was suggested the East Coast,should be extendedto allow for its expansionand, last time I was there,I swear I saw it breathing.

We open our mouths to proclaim how beautiful the world is, how sweet life is and how dear to us you are, Lady, Mother of All Living.

We stand here today to remind ourselves that we are all part of this web of creation. We are all linked, so that what any of us does affects all of us, that we are all responsible for the Earth. That we are all responsible for each other. We have chosen to be here today as a symbol of our commitment, our awareness of this connection.

Even so, we forget our promises and our duties.

We gossip, we mock, we jeer.

We quarrel, we are unkind, we lie.

We neglect, we abuse, we betray.

We are cruel, we hate, we destroy.

We are careless, we are violent, we steal.

We are jealous, we oppress, we are xenophobic.

We are racist, we are sexist, we are homophobic.

We waste, we pollute, we are selfish.

We disregard the sufferings of others, we allow others to suffer for our ignorance and our pride.

We hurt each other willingly and unwillingly.

We betray each other with violence and with stealth.

And most of all, we resist the impulse to do what we know is good, and we do not resist the impulse to do what we know is bad.

All this we acknowledge to be true, and we do not blame the mirror if the reflection displeases.

Lady, help us to forgive each other for all we have done and help us to do better in the coming year. Bring us into harmony with the Earth and all Her ways. So mote it be!